Nobody expected him to avert a war. Twice.
Donald J. Trump left a legacy of spectacle, mayhem, and division with his gold-plated towers and aggressive tweets. While comedians feasted and world leaders sneered, critics warned that his presidency would spell disaster for world peace. Contrary to all predictions, however, the man who was once derided as a diplomatic wrecking ball has now turned out to be an unlikely peacemaker.
Trump has been instrumental in averting two possible wars in a matter of months, shifting the diplomatic balance from Kyiv to Kashmir. Trump has changed since he first threatened to use fire and fury. The world is trying to figure out how Trump became the unexpected peacemaker.
He was derided as the man who would initiate the third world war. He may now be the man who stopped it twice. This arc isn’t one of redemption. It’s an odd change that no one, not even Trump, anticipated. And if this rate keeps up— if Trump keeps bringing people together where others are afraid to go— then the world needs to ask itself a new question: What if Donald Trump has permanently changed the rules of diplomacy?
Backchannel discussions, private envoys, and an unexpected surge in communications between Trump supporters and Kremlin officials were the first rumours in Washington.Trump, known for his previous warmth toward Putin, entered the scene with strategy rather than bluster as Russian artillery pounded eastern Ukraine and NATO prepared for escalation.
Trump quietly orchestrated a deal that gave both sides political breathing room, according to several diplomatic insiders, thereby facilitating a freeze in hostilities. By making concessions linked to the lifting of sanctions, he gave Putin a way out while encouraging Zelenskyy’s supporters to adopt a more practical negotiating stance.One European diplomat remarked, “He made the call no one expected.” And it was successful. Within days, the shelling ceased.
Peace in the traditional sense was not brought about by Trump’s intervention. On live television, there was no handshake or formal treaty. However, the violence decreased. The supply corridors were reopened. Without the sound of rockets in the distance, Ukrainian citizens returned to their damaged cities.Diplomacy wasn’t the norm. It was unvarnished, quick, and surprisingly successful Trump diplomacy. Another crisis simmered half a world away while the situation in Ukraine subsided. Following an alleged cross-border attack close to Kashmir, tensions between India and Pakistan escalated in South Asia.
With two rivals armed with nuclear weapons lurching toward conflict once more, the world feared the worst.
Trump used his personal connections with leaders in New Delhi and Islamabad to engage in covert high-level diplomacy while former President Biden made public appeals for calm. Leaked intelligence memos claim that he offered incentives for infrastructure investment to Pakistan in exchange for de-escalation while putting economic pressure on India by threatening to mobilize Gulf oil producers against them.
The outcome? a rare announcement in which both nations agreed to resume diplomatic negotiations and exercise military restraint. Trump allegedly stated, “I told them both— nobody wins a nuclear war. They listened.”
At least eight times since May 10, Donald Trump has called for peace between India and Pakistan in public, offering to mediate the protracted dispute over Kashmir. The frequency and persistence of Trump’s calls indicate otherwise, despite India’s persistent denials of any third-party involvement and dismissal of his offers with typical haughtiness.
In an apparent reference to covert diplomacy that prevented war, Trump has publicly taken credit for lowering tensions, including during the 2019 Pulwama-Balakot standoff. India’s persistent diplomatic gaslighting and deflection only serve to underscore New Delhi’s insecurity, as its government is unwilling to acknowledge that an outsider, particularly Trump, had to step in and save them from the precipice. Pakistan, meanwhile, applauded Trump’s initiatives, acknowledging the importance of an impartial mediator in the face of India’s thumping nationalism. If anything, Trump’s audacity revealed the hypocrisy of India’s refusal to participate in genuine peace negotiations, demonstrating that sometimes a disruptor— rather than a diplomat— is necessary to persuade a reluctant bully to attend a meeting.This could prove as a test to Trump’s ability to bring India to the negotiating table to discuss the highly sensitive issues of the Indus Water Treaty, Kashmir and terrorism in India and Pakistan. Considering the fact that both India and Pakistan serve as a very crucial part of the South Asian region for Trump.
Trump made another subtle but important move by moving closer to officially recognizing Syria, ending years of unclear US policy and bringing Damascus closer to being accepted as an essential actor in maintaining regional stability. Trump’s recognition signaled a strategic shift away from perpetual isolation and toward reintegration, whereas previous administrations lacked resolve and let Syria’s humanitarian crisis fester in a geopolitical limbo. It sent a message to the area that diplomacy, even with enemies, is possible and that chaos is not the default.Trump indicated an end to the policy of constant regime change and the start of possible long-term stabilization by recognizing Syria’s role in the future of the Middle East. By doing this, he established the foundation for a peace framework that encompasses not only Western favorites but also all important players.
Trump has threatened tariffs, floated mediation summits, and even proposed a trilateral intelligence-sharing mechanism that was previously dismissed as a pipe dream, according to aides.Trump’s efforts to promote peace continued after that. His impact is being felt in hotspots all over the world, despite being less dramatic.
North Korea: According to reports, Trump assisted in defusing a recent military standoff over missile testing through unofficial channels he had established during his first term.percent Middle East: According to analysts, his ongoing good relations with Israel and Saudi Arabia opened the door for new backroom talks with Jordan and Egypt. China: According to reports, an informal halt in retaliatory sanctions resulted from a previously undisclosed meeting between Chinese tech delegates and Trump-affiliated business envoys in Dubai. In Latin America and Africa, Trump’s team has been discreetly negotiating investment guarantees and resource access in return for collaborations on migration control.
Escalation hotspots have significantly decreased, according to global conflict indices. Investor confidence has increased by 4-6Â in a number of emerging economies, and this increase is directly related to areas that were previously thought to be volatile, stabilizing. Everyone loved to despise Trump. His syntax was ridiculed in late-night monologues. According to polls, he is not electable. He was laughed at by foreign leaders. Recent polls, however, point to a startling change. According to a Gallup International Leadership Poll, Trump’s approval rating has increased 17 points worldwide in just six months, especially among Middle Eastern and European countries. Once outspoken in their skepticism, policy analysts are now reevaluating their positions with caution.
According to Dr. Helena Koenig, a political scientist at the London School of Economics, “Trump’s diplomacy is unconventional, but not without precedent.” “He forces actors to the table by using leverage, optics, and surprise.” It is disruptive, but occasionally diplomacy requires disruption. Even Trump’s detractors admit that it’s getting more difficult to ignore his results.
We are seeing a recalibration of statecraft, not merely a PR makeover. The transactional, theatrical, and highly personal nature of Trump’s approach runs counter to the formalities of conventional diplomacy. However, it might work because of that very unpredictability.World leaders are adjusting. According to Washington insiders, Trump’s European allies now view him as a wild card that they need to play. Middle Eastern and Asian countries are developing new backup plans in case Trump’s influence regains its hegemony in 2025. This is not just an oddity in diplomacy. It’s a change in the way that power is used globally.
The Israel-Palestine conflict is the one that most urgently requires Trump’s intervention if he is to genuinely establish himself as a world peacemaker. The continuous genocide of Palestinians has become a moral stain on the conscience of the world, as pictures of demolished homes and uprooted families saturate the media worldwide. Trump has a distinct advantage over other leaders because of his strong connections to Israel’s leadership, his legitimacy in the Arab world as a result of the Abraham Accords, and his unparalleled capacity to control headlines and change perceptions.
He could save thousands of lives and accomplish something that no contemporary president has: a genuine, enforceable peace in Palestine if he decides to intervene now and use his power to demand a ceasefire, negotiate a route to Palestinian sovereignty, and end the humanitarian crisis.For Trump, this is more than just a chance; it’s a litmus test for whether his newfound role as a global negotiator involves speaking up for the voiceless and putting an end to one of the worst tragedies in modern history.
He was derided as the man who would initiate the third world war. He may now be the man who stopped it twice. This arc isn’t one of redemption. It’s an odd change that no one, not even Trump, anticipated. And if this rate keeps up— if Trump keeps bringing people together where others are afraid to go— then the world needs to ask itself a new question: What if Donald Trump has permanently changed the rules of diplomacy?
Keep paying attention. Perhaps the most unpredictable person in the world could also be its most successful peacemaker.
